[Music]
[Applause]
so what makes my story is so
extraordinary is the fact that it is so
just very Extra Ordinary I don’t have
any great accomplishments Nobel Peace
Prizes or really cool studies to boast
about but I have survived active
addiction and I have seen and been
through more than most people could ever
even imagine and I stand here today on
stage in front of you to represent a
light that is born in the defeat of this
darkness about four out of five people
who succumbed to substance use disorder
start with prescription pain medication
I’d like to quickly state that that’s
the only number or statistic I’m gonna
give you today simply because these are
people we’re talking about not numbers
they’re our brothers or sisters or
children or parents our neighbors or
coworkers or like in my case sometimes
they’re us like I said I had a pretty
ordinary life I grew up in a small town
in South Jersey I had a really big
close-knit family I went to a private
high school I played sports growing up I
was a cheerleader I went to college I
was in a sorority I came home after
college and was given a prescription for
opioid painkillers for an injury that I
had sustained very quickly I had become
one of those four out of five people who
succumbed to substance use disorder I
was taken prescription painkillers and
it very quickly spiraled into a
full-blown heroin addiction very quickly
spiraled into a full-blown heroin
addiction I had given up everything for
heroin my family my life my friends my
job it had completely taken over I’m
sure by now most of you know someone
was an active addiction so I’m not gonna
give you all the gory details about it
but I need you to know that I did reach
a point in my life or I thought that I
had done so many things wrong I didn’t
even know if I could do right anymore I
had completely given up on myself I
thought that my life was over there was
no redemption for me no hope so much so
that I used to have to tell my family to
accept me the way that I was a heroin
addict I was going to die not because I
was a heroin addict but I was going to
die from being a heroin addict I was
going to overdose and die and I had
accepted that fact I had looked my mom
in the eye and told her this was going
to kill me and I continued to use if
that’s not a testament to how strong
this diseases I don’t know what is seems
like a lifetime ago but I’m not here to
talk about the gory details I’m here to
talk about and spread hope eventually
all the consequences to my addiction had
caught up to me and I ended up in jail I
was lucky enough to become a drug court
client and go to long term rehab after
rehab I had continued my treatment and I
went to an outpatient program as well
and like I said today I’m here to share
some hope isolating myself from my
friends and my family to showing up
every single time they need me that’s
hope from being homeless to having my
own apartment that’s hope from not
having a job from being unemployed to
getting a job receiving several
promotions and eventually getting the
job of my dreams that’s hope from not
even wanting to live anymore to sharing
my story at the White House that’s hope
from spending holidays in hotel rooms
alone to waking up on Christmas with my
family and watching my niece and nephew
open presents that’s hope from crying of
sadness alone in my jail cell to crying
tears of happiness at my own drug court
graduation surrounded by people I love
that’s hope all this hope didn’t happen
overnight I had to work really really
hard at it I had to accept that the
things that I had done I couldn’t take
back the past isn’t something that I can
change and although it was tough when I
accepted that I was able to forgive
myself and consciously ask other for
forgive others for forgiveness as well I
had to treat my entire self my mind my
body and my soul I also had to treat the
spiritual aspect of myself which for me
was paramount I had to keep a positive
attitude about everything which I’m sure
we all know isn’t easy it took some time
but eventually I started to do the right
thing and I kept doing the right next
thing I used to think that being an
addict was my downfall I used to think
that it defined me but now I know it’s
just a part of me it’s a part that makes
me more understanding more compassionate
more grateful and I used to think that
it was my downfall but I’ve learned that
it’s actually one of my strongest
attributes and working at Victory Bay
Recovery Center I get to use this really
cool part of me and try to help other
people as well the hardest question I
get in my line of work is how did you
get better why can’t my son or daughter
get better
that’s difficult to have someone look at
you and ask why their loved ones stay
sick while you got better and all I know
is that I don’t have all the answers for
that but I do know and I do think that
there are three very important
components to that I think a strong
clinical program assisted with the
12-step program and silver structured
living is the way to long term sobriety
mm-hmm I also know that reducing the
stigma is very important as well there’s
the thing called NIMBY I don’t know if
you guys have heard of it but it’s not
in my backyard
so people want people to get better but
they don’t want recovery houses or sober
living homes in their neighborhoods
would you tell a cancer patient that
they couldn’t move in next to you to
recovery would you tell someone who’s
dying of a heart disease that they
couldn’t live in your neighborhood I
just don’t understand how we can tell
somebody who could potentially be our
family member next month that we’re not
willing to help when they’re trying to
help themselves the days of this not
happening to me or my loved ones are
over this is a national crisis people
are dying and unfathomable numbers and
we need to do something about it I
refuse to stand by idly and allow this
to happen anymore I need your help I
can’t do this alone I am begging you
that you learn from my mistakes and I’ve
learned through this to never give up on
my ambitions of a happy and healthy life
I’ve learned to successfully transition
from avid
to a survivor I will continue to pursue
and conquer life’s greatest obstacles
and I will remain unstoppable and my
motive to help and love and appreciate
all things good and bad my journey
through recovery has been fueled by love
and hope from my family and friends and
I know it’s my mission in life to spread
that love and hope to anybody who will
take it it is my duty to never forget
the people who feel forgotten the quote
I note now choose to live by is the
world has changed by my example not by
my by my opinion and I choose to embrace
that the change starts with me I choose
to judge less I choose to love more and
I choose to spread hope what do you
choose at the end of the day I’m just a
recovering addict trying to help the
next recovering addict and to me that’s
hope thank you
[Applause]
[Applause]
so what makes my story is so
extraordinary is the fact that it is so
just very Extra Ordinary I don’t have
any great accomplishments Nobel Peace
Prizes or really cool studies to boast
about but I have survived active
addiction and I have seen and been
through more than most people could ever
even imagine and I stand here today on
stage in front of you to represent a
light that is born in the defeat of this
darkness about four out of five people
who succumbed to substance use disorder
start with prescription pain medication
I’d like to quickly state that that’s
the only number or statistic I’m gonna
give you today simply because these are
people we’re talking about not numbers
they’re our brothers or sisters or
children or parents our neighbors or
coworkers or like in my case sometimes
they’re us like I said I had a pretty
ordinary life I grew up in a small town
in South Jersey I had a really big
close-knit family I went to a private
high school I played sports growing up I
was a cheerleader I went to college I
was in a sorority I came home after
college and was given a prescription for
opioid painkillers for an injury that I
had sustained very quickly I had become
one of those four out of five people who
succumbed to substance use disorder I
was taken prescription painkillers and
it very quickly spiraled into a
full-blown heroin addiction very quickly
spiraled into a full-blown heroin
addiction I had given up everything for
heroin my family my life my friends my
job it had completely taken over I’m
sure by now most of you know someone
was an active addiction so I’m not gonna
give you all the gory details about it
but I need you to know that I did reach
a point in my life or I thought that I
had done so many things wrong I didn’t
even know if I could do right anymore I
had completely given up on myself I
thought that my life was over there was
no redemption for me no hope so much so
that I used to have to tell my family to
accept me the way that I was a heroin
addict I was going to die not because I
was a heroin addict but I was going to
die from being a heroin addict I was
going to overdose and die and I had
accepted that fact I had looked my mom
in the eye and told her this was going
to kill me and I continued to use if
that’s not a testament to how strong
this diseases I don’t know what is seems
like a lifetime ago but I’m not here to
talk about the gory details I’m here to
talk about and spread hope eventually
all the consequences to my addiction had
caught up to me and I ended up in jail I
was lucky enough to become a drug court
client and go to long term rehab after
rehab I had continued my treatment and I
went to an outpatient program as well
and like I said today I’m here to share
some hope isolating myself from my
friends and my family to showing up
every single time they need me that’s
hope from being homeless to having my
own apartment that’s hope from not
having a job from being unemployed to
getting a job receiving several
promotions and eventually getting the
job of my dreams that’s hope from not
even wanting to live anymore to sharing
my story at the White House that’s hope
from spending holidays in hotel rooms
alone to waking up on Christmas with my
family and watching my niece and nephew
open presents that’s hope from crying of
sadness alone in my jail cell to crying
tears of happiness at my own drug court
graduation surrounded by people I love
that’s hope all this hope didn’t happen
overnight I had to work really really
hard at it I had to accept that the
things that I had done I couldn’t take
back the past isn’t something that I can
change and although it was tough when I
accepted that I was able to forgive
myself and consciously ask other for
forgive others for forgiveness as well I
had to treat my entire self my mind my
body and my soul I also had to treat the
spiritual aspect of myself which for me
was paramount I had to keep a positive
attitude about everything which I’m sure
we all know isn’t easy it took some time
but eventually I started to do the right
thing and I kept doing the right next
thing I used to think that being an
addict was my downfall I used to think
that it defined me but now I know it’s
just a part of me it’s a part that makes
me more understanding more compassionate
more grateful and I used to think that
it was my downfall but I’ve learned that
it’s actually one of my strongest
attributes and working at Victory Bay
Recovery Center I get to use this really
cool part of me and try to help other
people as well the hardest question I
get in my line of work is how did you
get better why can’t my son or daughter
get better
that’s difficult to have someone look at
you and ask why their loved ones stay
sick while you got better and all I know
is that I don’t have all the answers for
that but I do know and I do think that
there are three very important
components to that I think a strong
clinical program assisted with the
12-step program and silver structured
living is the way to long term sobriety
mm-hmm I also know that reducing the
stigma is very important as well there’s
the thing called NIMBY I don’t know if
you guys have heard of it but it’s not
in my backyard
so people want people to get better but
they don’t want recovery houses or sober
living homes in their neighborhoods
would you tell a cancer patient that
they couldn’t move in next to you to
recovery would you tell someone who’s
dying of a heart disease that they
couldn’t live in your neighborhood I
just don’t understand how we can tell
somebody who could potentially be our
family member next month that we’re not
willing to help when they’re trying to
help themselves the days of this not
happening to me or my loved ones are
over this is a national crisis people
are dying and unfathomable numbers and
we need to do something about it I
refuse to stand by idly and allow this
to happen anymore I need your help I
can’t do this alone I am begging you
that you learn from my mistakes and I’ve
learned through this to never give up on
my ambitions of a happy and healthy life
I’ve learned to successfully transition
from avid
to a survivor I will continue to pursue
and conquer life’s greatest obstacles
and I will remain unstoppable and my
motive to help and love and appreciate
all things good and bad my journey
through recovery has been fueled by love
and hope from my family and friends and
I know it’s my mission in life to spread
that love and hope to anybody who will
take it it is my duty to never forget
the people who feel forgotten the quote
I note now choose to live by is the
world has changed by my example not by
my by my opinion and I choose to embrace
that the change starts with me I choose
to judge less I choose to love more and
I choose to spread hope what do you
choose at the end of the day I’m just a
recovering addict trying to help the
next recovering addict and to me that’s
hope thank you
[Applause]
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